~ Do it with passion or not at all.

Large firms cost a lot of energy to provide water, gas and electricity throughout the building. How nice would it be if after some time a building produces more energy than it consumes? In Norway, a team is working on a renovation project to achieve the above.

Powerhouse Kjørbo is a renovation project located just outside of Oslo, and will produce more energy than it consumes. It involves two buildings out of the 80’s to be transformed into a energy yielding property. Before these buildings were consuming 250 kwh per square meter. After the renovation the property should provide 200.000 kWh a year, and that is a big difference.

It can produce so much kWh because of the solar panels, special insulation technologies and technologies which creating less need of cooling. Besides the quality of the environment the Powerhouse Kjorbo also contributes to the Quality of Life regarding to material wellbeing. The Powerhouse Kjorbo is cool because it will produce more energy than it consumes, all because of the technological advances of the recent years.

Most people rather take the bike to work because it’s more healthy but we don’t want to get up early. But maybe it is no longer necessary in the future thanks to a group of engineering students!

The Arion1 should be the fastest vehicle on human power in the future. This bike (which can reach 90mph) is developed bij a group of engineering students of The University of Liverpool Velocipede Team (ULVT). The record speed was achieved in September 2013 and was 83.13mph.

The Arion1 weighs less than 25 pounds, is 98.4% efficient and is able to achieve at least twice the speed of the fastest sprint. The driver of this vehicle floats 5 inches above the ground and is wrapped in a capsule. This vehicle is cool because it is a sign of the enormous technological development that we’re in and for now it is very promising for the future. It also increase the Quality of Life regarding to transport.

Personally, I think, that when the Arion1 comes to the market in May 2015 it will not be realistic on the road network we have now. But, as I appointed a few sentences ago I think the Arion1 is a very promising development for the future.
The Arion is not the first vehicle developed which runs on speed, efficiency and technology.

Similarly, there is the Servvan Robotic Vehicle (a robot car). Despite the fact that these vehicles are not on the road yet, it is cool because it shows us the strength to the possibilities and wishes for the future.

Athletes on the streets are fun but can be dangerous aswel. A ball rolling across the road and skating youth on the sidewalk: a common view in big cities. The solution is simple: Skatecity!

Skate City is designed by Glifberg + Lykke and Cebra Architects in 2011. Now, in 2014 the construction is still in progress. It’s located in Handerslev (Denmark). Skatecity will be 6.500 sq meters and lays next to the waterside. In some places of the skatepark is a basketball court and some benches to take a break. Skatecity consist several ‘bowls’ to be able to meet different levels of skating. The roof of this incredible park will be covered with green what will flourish in spring.
Skatecity improves the Quality of Life because it provides the opportunity to skate and socialize with your friends in a safe, green en public place. And that is exactly why Skatecity is so cool!

Besides Skatecity there are more multifunctional sport courts. For instance the 4D Cablean sport court. This court can rotate what makes it possible to place various sports courts on the same place.

Ubranisation, a migration movement from countryside to the city. It won’t take long before all the cities are overcrowded and green spaces will disappear. BUT! There are solutions like the Envision Green Hotel. The Envision Green Hotel takes living and green spaces literally to the next level.

TheEnvisionGreen Hotelisan egg–shapedskyscraper designedfor the HospitalityDesignRadicalInnovationdesign competition. This tower will be used as an urban eco-resort and as a wind tower. The tower is seen as a living organism, and therefore natural air will flow through the building. By solar the tower will be provide with electricity, the courtyards provide indirect insulation and the swimming pools serve as decorative fire protection. The Envision Green Hotel is an upward extension of the earth and it contributes to the Quality of Life because even though you are high up in the sky you still can experience all of the earth-eco-aspects. All of this is exactly why the Envision Green Hotel is sow innovative and cool.

Homeless, unfortunately, they are everywhere. Despite the different centers, there are still a lot of homeless people who sleep on the street.. This has to change, and can change! Thanks to the Homeless Project Home.

The Homeless Home Project is an idea of ​​Gregory Kloehn, a Californian artist. He used old materials and debris to build little and mobile houses for the homeless. The materials that Kloehn is using for these houses are dumped stalls, old household items and waste from companies. Because all of those materials can be used, every house will be different and unique. Yet al these houses have one thing in common: they all have wheels! The wheels give the nomads effect where the homeless are accustomed.

To me, the link to Quality of Life seems quite obvious: shelter is one of the basic necessities. The Homeless Home Project is a beautiful and durable initiative that contributes to the Quality of Life of rovers.
This project is cool because these houses are made of recycled and durable materials and were built to give shelter to the homeless.

The Homeless Home Project is a reuse project, just as the Bureo. The Bureo is a skateboard made of fishnets. These fishnets were dumped or left in Chili.

What is it?Babylonstoren is a fruit and vegetable garden 60 km near Capetown. It is based on the kitchen garden that the Dutch have constructed during the VOC period. Beside a huge garden with fresh fruits and vegetables Babylonstoren also has two restaurants, a hotel, a bakery, a butchery and a spa.

Why is it cool?Thisis a cool concept because all of the dishes on the menu are made with products from the garden. Dinner at one of the restaurants is not the only way to enjoy all the fresh fruits and veggies. Guests also are having the permission to crop.

Why has it future growth potential?I think Babylonstoren has future growth potential because the founder (Karen Roos) wants to teach the people where food really comes from by means of the garden. It’s all about the transparency of our food: where did it grow?

What is it?The TellSpec is a portable device which can tell you a lot of information about the food that you’re about to eat. You aim the TellSpec on your food, then the information about the food that you have scanned will be send to the app on your smartphone. It gives you information about allergens, ingredients, chemicals, calories and nutrients. You can scan every food everywhere you like. At home, in the grocery, at restaurants etc.

Why is it cool?This small device is cool because it offers total transparency to the consumers about the food that they are eating that very moment in less than three seconds. It is small, not very expensive and easy to use. The TellSpec also makes you conscious about what you eat, which can help to provide a better and healthier lifestyle.

Why has it future growth potential?
By the food scandals from de past years people have lost faith in the food industry. Transparency regarding to food has never been so important ever since. Because the TellSpec is easy to use, payable and provides transparency TellSpec definitely has future growth potential.

What is it?Choose your package is an eco-friendly grocery bag that can be printed with the nutritional values ​​of your products at the pay desk. Besides that there are three more options:
– You can print your personal QR code on the bag. If you scan the QR code you get on your personal space where you can find recipes, ingredient information and a personal shopping guide.
– You can customize your own eco-friendly grocery bag.
– You can also choose for a advertising bag. When you choose for an advertising bag you will get cost reductions.
You can order this bag online and pay the bag and your groceries at once.

Why is it cool?
Choose your package bag is cool because people can provide their own input to the bag. People will like this because they can affect the bags that they carrying with them in public. Besides that the grocery bags offer transparency about the products that are in the bag. Other people in public can see what you’ve purchased.

Why has it future growth potential?This grocery bag has a future growth potential because at first it is an eco friendly bag which you can reuse every time you go to the grocery. Secondly people like it that they can decide with what kind of bag they take into public. The choose your package bag offers both of the above standing opportunities.

What is it?
The Foodskin flexible lunchbox is a lunchbox that takes up as little space as possible and keeps your bread together. By means of its highly elasticated silicone skin keeps your lunch together the way you want it: how you’ve prepared it that morning. When the lunchbox is empty it gets flat again and even when your bread is still in the lunchbox it wil take up just a little space.

Why is it cool?Nobody likes to eat his/her bread all flat and crushed. Nobody likes it to gather your spreads because your bread was in a way too big tupperware bowl (that takes a lot of space as well). The Foodskin flexible is cool because it contributes too the Quality of Life. It contributes to the Quality of Life because flat and crushed bread and a way too big lunchbox are such little frustrating irritations which the Foodskin flexible lunchbox provides. Why has it future growth potential?The Foodskin flexible lunchbox has a future growth potential because people want more transparency regarding to food. A result of this is that people make their own lunch to know what they are eating. The Foodskin flexible lunchbox is the ideal outcome to carry your lunch around without flattening your bread. For more info, click here

What is it?The Foodini is a 3D foodprinter with fresh ingredients. When you have chosen your meal the Foodini tells you which ingredient you have to put in the capsules of the printer and will prepare your meal. Within no time you have a fresh meal without all the effort of cooking.

Why is it cool?The Foodini is cool because it combines food, technology, convenience and a bit of art (as you can see on the pictures). All of these aspects are things that we are daily exposed to. If I can speak for myself I can relate to the convenience part. Sometimes I don’t feel like cooking even though I’m hungry. The Foodini makes it easy to eat healthy and quickly. In the future, when the Foodini will be available it will contribute to the Quality of Life of many people because the threshold to healthy food will be more accessible.

Why has it future growth potential?The Foodini has future growth potential because it combines a lot of daily aspects and lowers the threshold to healthy food. Nowadays people still choose for fastfood when they are in a hurry or don’t feel like cooking, in the future people will choose the Foodini.